7 - 13 February 2002
Issue No.572
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 7 - 13 February 2002 Issue No.572 |
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Deserving of defeat
Thoroughly outclassed, Egypt fell to Cameroon and crashed out of the African Nations Cup. Abeer Anwar reports on the sorry ending
Patrick Mboma's header in the second half was enough to see Cameroon through to the semi- finals of the African Nations Cup (ANC) while Egypt was left pondering what went wrong.
Mboma, back, and Ahmed Salah Hosni bump heads in the Egypt-Cameroon clash
The players should not have to think for very long. Not once was Cameroon goalkeeper Boukar Alioum forced into a save as the Egyptians failed to fire a single shot between the posts during the full 90 minutes. The dry defensive strategy appeared to be an attempt to take the game into penalties but the plan, suspect from the start against the defending African and Olympic champions, went askew after Mboma's header, which was his tournament-leading third goal.
Mboma, Africa's current player of the year and a favourite to repeat as the continent's best, got the game-winner in the 62nd minute from a corner, using his height to beat two defenders to the ball which he neatly chipped off the back of his head.
The Egyptians managed to string together a few half-chances up front in the final 20 minutes but never seriously threatened to score. Ahmed Hossam headed wide in the 70th minute and Yasser Radwan blasted a free kick that sailed over the bar a minute later. Late in the game, a loose ball zipped tantalisingly across the penalty box but there were no Egyptian takers.
The best chance of the game for either side came in the 49th minute when Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El-Hadari inexplicably kicked the ball straight to Samuel Eto'o in a clearance attempt. With nothing more intrepid to do except tap the ball into an empty goal from seven metres after rounding El-Hadari, Eto'o shot over the crossbar.
In the scoreless first half, Cameroon had the better of play, but failed to convert possession into chances. From the start, Egypt's players executed dozens of errant passes and the miscues continued well into the game. The most promising opportunity of the half fell to Eto'o after just four minutes when the young striker was gifted the ball but from close range his shot was smothered at El-Hadari's feet.
It was the second consecutive time Egypt had been kicked out of the tournament's quarter-finals and it capped a miserable few months after the team failed to reach the World Cup. Coach Mahmoud El-Gohari, the only man to have won the Nations Cup as a player and coach, said he would resign immediately after the championship regardless of who won. Unfortunately, he will leave on a losing note.
El-Gohari admitted in a pre-match interview that Cameroon, known as the Indomitable Lions, were the hot favourites. "It's a very tough game," said the former army captain, who is in his fourth stint as Egypt's coach. "Cameroon are a very strong team, they won their group without using their skills to the full," added El- Gohari, who led Egypt to the title four years ago. "They are several steps ahead of us, they have prepared well, they are more professional and a lot of their players have come straight from the French league," El-Gohari said. "Honestly, I think Nigeria and Cameroon are the real contenders for the title."
El-Gohari's assessment was reasonable. Most observers believe the remaining four teams in the ANC are the best after Senegal, hosts Mali and Nigeria advanced to the semi-finals. The Lions, for example, have scored six goals in the tournament and have yet to concede a goal in four matches.
Cameroon, which has won three African Cups and qualified for this year's World Cup finals, play Mali in the semi-finals today. "We want to keep going, to win every game because we want to keep the trophy," said Cameroon captain Rigobert Song. "We are ready to face any team."
Nigeria and Senegal are two more World Cup entries which make up an intriguing clash in the other penultimate game.
Because of the teams' parity few can even begin to speculate as to who will win the ANC, but one thing is certain: Egypt will not be around for the final on Sunday, 10 February.
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